QS stands for “Quickshot”, a series of short form review/preview/opinion articles.
For those involved in the gaming scene in 2017 (especially the indie gaming scene), Yooka Laylee was a massive event. It was developed by former designers from Rare, the creators of Banjo Kazooie. The game was going to be the next Banjo Kazooie, borrowing heavily from the bear-and-bird to give players the spiritual successor they’ve been wanting since the early 2000s. It was going to be a deluge of nostalgia wrapped up in a new coat of fun paint.
Was it the most original idea in the world? No, quite evidently not. But it was genuinely what people wanted, and that was proven by Yooka Laylee becoming the most-backed Kickstarter gaming project ever at that time. A demo came out that was really entertaining, a plethora of stretch goals promised even more goodies, and the release date loomed. And for once, nothing went wrong with the release of the game.
So what was the issue? The game just…wasn’t very good.
Despite unashamedly copying the formula of Banjo Kazooie, the developers still found a way to deviate in the worst possible way at every single turn. I assume the intent was to be more unique and creative, but sometimes tradition exists for a reason. Yooka Laylee quickly become infamous for being one of the most perplexing games of all time. How could such a talented team of developers make the wrong design decisions at every single opportunity? Honestly, I have no clue.
Each world in the game was absolutely massive, but had nothing to do in it, with large stretches of open land (or water) and empty loneliness. Despite ostensibly being a ‘collectathon‘ like the classic bear-and-bird adventures, Yooka Laylee seemed almost allergic to sprinkling its world with whimsy and joy. The levels were far too big and labyrinthine, with none worse than the convoluted mess that is the hub world. A far cry from the simplicity of Princess Peach’s castle in Super Mario 64, the big villains lair was a mess that had players pulling their hair out in frustration as all they wanted to do was make it to the next level.
There was also a strange insistence on including an energy bar mechanic that was far too punishing. Every little maneuver outside of a basic jump ate up your energy, up to and including the ability to move faster by rolling. The rolling move, obviously inspired by one of the very first upgrades you get in Banjo Kazooie (the Talon Trot), took up energy to use, which meant you couldn’t even use it for it’s clear intended purpose of traversing this mind-bogglingly huge worlds quicker. It was like a slap in the face to all players expecting an actual quality of life feature in their game.
And the mini games and boss fights? Both quite dreadful. The bosses ranged from being too simple to too frustrating, with no satisfying in-between. And the mini games were either infuriating and poorly-paced mine cart challenges, or very low-budget experiences meant to evoke the feeling of a retro game (you accessed them through a big arcade machine), but really just gave off the vibes of a bargain bin knockoff video game best left forgotten.
Honestly, despite the buckets of cash this game brought in through its Kickstarter campaign, there was an undeniable feeling of ‘cheapness‘ to Yooka Laylee. The cutscenes were stiff and awkward, character animations left much to be desired, the UI was really simplistic, and the graphics weren’t wowing anyone. There were hints of genuine passion and love in the game (like the awesome soundtrack, or the funny writing), but it was a horribly sad state of affairs for a game many people were hoping would be the rejuvenation of the collectathon genre.
I was one of those people, in fact. While I didn’t back the game on Kickstarter, I did preorder it and play it on launch day. And while I made it through the entire first world, I could tell something was off. I ended up quitting almost as soon as the second world started, and dropped me into a big open ice field with nothing at all around me. That’s when I knew that Yooka Laylee was not the game I (and so many others) thought it would be.
But then we come to today…
Yooka Laylee, despite an objectively terrible start, was not the birth and death of the franchise. A follow-up game actually released a few years later, albeit a 2D platformer instead of 3D. It was called Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair, and it was really great! It sold well, reviewed well, and was widely enjoyed by all. I can attest to its strengths, though admittedly I only played a handful of levels when I picked the game up during a big sale event and wanted to test it out. I’ll get back to it some day.
But the core of this article is in reference to a little game called Yooka Replaylee, which recently launched. It is a complete and total overhaul of the original Yooka Laylee, done by (obviously) the same team. As such, I almost struggle to call it a remake or remaster, since it’s more like the original game but redone. I feel like I’ve never really seen anything like this done before, or at least not to this scale.
Even if I don’t know exactly what moniker to ascribe this game’s existence/creation with, I do know one word I can use to describe the game. That word is ‘great‘.
I’ve just recently completed my first-ever playthrough of Yooka Replaylee right now, and I had a blast just about the entire time. The difference between this version and the original is night-and-day, and while a part of me is sad at the knowledge that this version isn’t what we got back in 2017 from the very start, at least this adventure is one that is finally worth enjoying. I highly recommend it.
Quickly rolling around no longer costs stamina, allowing you to freely perform the move and more easily incorporate it into your platforming capabilities. And speaking of those capabilities, Yooka (the chameleon, who you are primarily controlling, just like how you primarily played as Banjo the bear) feels amazing to play. Like, really really good. Just about the most important aspect of a 3D platformer is how good the main character feels to control, and Yooka moves around like a dream. It helps that you have your full suite of moves from the start of the game, and a significantly more lenient (and upgradable) energy bar to work with.
But who needs to move through these worlds at a fast pace, when they’ve got so much to do in them? Unlike the original game’s emptiness, Yooka Replaylee‘s levels are stuffed with goodies around every corner, ensuring that you’re never just wandering aimlessly looking for anything to do. There’s collectibles big and small to grab, making nearly every second of gameplay rewarding. And if you do get lost? Not only is there a detailed map you can examine at any time, but there is also a fast-travel system to warp around the levels with!
Basically every complaint people had about the original is addressed, if you couldn’t tell already. The mini games are structured better, especially the retro games (which now have a completely unique retro art style and gameplay to go with it). The boss fights are spiced up with new moves, or retooled combat encounters. The overly-complex hub world has been toned down and streamlined to allow for easier exploration and fun. The graphics look significantly better. The variety has been increased even higher with new mechanics and level gimmicks.
Yooka Laylee, thanks to Yooka Replaylee, has gone from a not-very-good platformer to an extremely fun platformer for fans of the genre to check out.
Is it completely perfect? Of course not. At its core, Yooka Replayee is still working from the original game’s base, and that game had some underlying issues that can’t really be fixed.
For example, the cutscenes still aren’t very good, and they feel stiff and cheap. The ending, in particular, is jarringly short and a bit unsatisfying. The character animations in general are just a bit too stale for my liking. Also, though the game is a joy to play, it does sometimes feel a little bit like ‘empty calories‘ so to speak. My brain is being enticed by all the shiny objects, but the intricacies of what I’m doing are sometimes bland. The game has an occasional big set piece, sure, but not the moment-by-moment joy of something like A Hat in Time or Astro Bot.
Still, it’s a very enjoyable game, and it gives me a lot of hope that Playtonic Games can build off of this and make a Yooka Laylee 2 that just truly becomes a platforming masterpiece!
9/10
The Contrarian Corner 